The Optimist
by EphemeralBliss
Summary: [Timetravel, kickass!Haruno] Let it never be said that Jounin Haruno wasn't a determined woman. Featuring the pesky birds of Konoha, an entertained Sarutobi, and the rest of the grouchy Konoha barge.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The sunlight steadily poured in through the window, illuminating the scratches and coffee stains on her study.

Sakura levitated her chin, glancing out of the window, her mind whirring rapidly as she calculated the life-death probabilities of the patients she would have to appraise that morning.

Her cool, numb fingers curling around the circumference of her saké cup, she shut her eyes and took a brief sip.

It was crazy. With Tsunade down and out of function, it was like the entire wiring of the Konohagakure medic forces had been compromised. She had never been good at dealing with encumbrances; she wasn't going to lead Tsunade's medics into the light by some great miracle.

Exhaling softly against the chipped edge of the patterned cup she'd been clasping, she examined her cluttered desk with a critical eye.

Naruto had warned her not to overwork herself. If she had been honest with herself then and there, it almost seemed as though he was sheltering her from invisible forces of evil, which was a bit redundant as he had something far malevolent residing within himself.

Adopting a neutral expression, Sakura set down the cup with a clatter on the desk, steadying it with a quick twitch of her wrist as it started to topple over.

Naruto's problem hadn't affected her for the past seven or six years; why did it have to start now? She felt impeccably foolish for her lapse of judgement, rising from her chair and gazing out of the only window in her room.

She had surmised that Naruto and the Kyuubi had some sort of a truce going on, and that had been all she had mulled on for hours. The only control someone could have on Kurama was through the sharingan. Danzo had mastered it to an amazing level for a non-Uchiha; although he hadn't gained the level of precision and expertise that Sasuke had managed to achieve. It worried her, if she wanted to be frank. Danzo had withered and died by his hands, and although Naruto wanted to believe with all his heart that Sasuke had reformed for the better, Sakura couldn't bring herself to acknowledge the fact.

It was pitiable, at best. The Uchiha had gone far to prove his loyalties by helping the village in the times of distress or need. What were his motives? Did he truly want to learn from his mistakes as he traversed through shinobi nations like a nomad, wanting to forge the frayed threads of his alliance with Naruto and her?

She was uneasy. Knowing that Sasuke had ulterior motives didn't make her feel guilty in any manner; after all, she had him to thank her for her paranoia.

"Sakura," Shizune's slender shadow fell on the bare, wooden floor. She was leaning on the fusuma panels, holding a small paper fan.

"Oh, Shziune. I hadn't expected you to complete your shifts quickly. I am on my way."

The kunoichi merely inclined her head, the impassive mask which she had donned for her profession slipping for a split second before she smiled tolerantly.

"Is that saké? You are truly Tsunade sama's pupil, aren't you?"

Sakura flushed, almost shoving the cup underneath the woman's nose.

"It's tea! See? Tastes glorious."

The petite woman hummed, swiveling around her heels and making her way out the room and out into the cheer filled Konoha streets. So many plans were coming up for the Leaf's rehabilitation after the war, courtesy of Naruto. Mouth twitching in humour at the prospect of Konoha's Orange Hokage fooling around, Sakura decided to have a bath.

It was just as she was untying the ends of her yukata when she felt her gut clenching in what was probably the aftermath of her binge diet the night before. She knew for the most part that being a shinobi came with uncertainty, and tried to enjoy food – a privilege she'd foolishly denied herself when she had been a genin – as much as she could.

Slipping into the lukewarm waters of her bath, Sakura untied the clasps in her hair. She had grown it out, and was considering trimming it in the future. It brought nostalgia, amongst many other memories.

She sensed it before it had even started.

It left a premonitory chill creeping up her bare back, leaving goose bumps in an unpleasant way.

Her chest felt congested; Sakura lifted herself from the water, her breaths deepening.

It wasn't panic – at least panic didn't feel like this confusing discomfort which held her body in its massive grip.

The pain hit like the blunt edge of Sai's tantō to the base of her lower abdomen, and she choked out a cry. Panting, she ran a quick diagnosis for any foreign material suffused in her bloodstream. She couldn't identify anything. Her vision had narrowed out to the sake cup in the farthest corner of her mind.

No, that couldn't be right. The chakra test showed negative, and the pain was starting to subside. She crouched low on the floor of her washroom, naked and dripping water all over the tiles, her heart pounding as white spots appeared in her vision.

It rammed back at full force, and she hissed in agony as the startling sensation which caused the base of her skull to pound against the tub.

She normally had a high threshold for pain, but what she was experiencing was something beyond whatever she'd had to face in her journey thus far.

Her skin had become feverish, and she could feel sweat beading against the nape of her neck. It wasn't the water from the bath.

Her skin had begun to glow rapidly, which left her reeling.

Kami, what was _happening _to her?

In a flash, she blacked out.

* * *

**Confusing? Yeah, it's like that at first. Hopefully this will work out all the same. Note that this isn't going to be a Sakura fixated on changing her past.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The verdant green of her iris disappeared steadfastly as the darkness of her pupils expanded.

Her breathing was shallow, coming out in short pants.

Laying still for a couple of seconds, she became hyper aware of the jagged rocks underneath her bare back. A cool gust of wind wafted in, curling around her stark naked body. Her vision wasn't the best at the moment, but the pain helped her mind to compartmentalize. Sakura drew her arms around her body, crisscrossing them protectively around her chest and squinting to get an idea of her surroundings.

It became clear in an instant.

The chirp of a thrush sounded faintly somewhere above her, and she placed a blistered palm against the rough bark of a tree.

_Quercus stenophylla_

Her gaze traversed up the great oak before her.

The sticky feeling of blood against her bare back might have had something to do with the fact that she had fallen on a bed of sharp rocks. If someone was trying to play a pathetic excuse of a trick on her-_  
_

It was terrible, how the rage was almost instinctive. That was a weakness of hers; something which she knew even those who were closest to her faced. If this was genjutsu, why would anyone want to impose it on an ordinary jounin slash medic-nin such as herself?

Rising unsteadily and ignoring the instinctual thrum of adrenalin and excitement coursing through her veins, Sakura placed a calm hand on her hips, the soothing drone of her chakra expertly weaving and mending the torn skin there, until it was red and raw and caked with dry blood.

Her forehead ached, and she sensed the pain blooming outwards from her ultimate seal.

Sakura gasped when the pain grew unbearable, arching backwards with a resonant cry. Biting her lip, she felt the conspicuous chakra she'd been intimate with for several years betraying her. She stopped healing herself, and the pain gradually dissipated.

She chose not to think of that. How in the world was she going to get back to Konoha in this state?

She laid back yet again, ignoring the way her wounds protested as she did. Listening to her breathing even out, Sakura waited until the pain completely subsided, before summoning the healing energy to her fingertips yet again.

The energy hissed and protested, which made Sakura blink. She growled in displeasure, forcing it out. It reacted.

Mouth opening wordlessly in agony, she felt her seal widening.

It was like her chakra was being harnessed by some unnatural forces. She tentatively ran the existing chakra in her body through her bloodstream, not finding any explanation.

She pushed it behind her mind. This was a new development. First, she had to find her way back.

She knew the pattern of Konoha's forests, as vast and monotonous as it was. Her job had required her to travel to Suna far more than what she was willing to, and the small civilian villages under the Daimyō's rule. Of course, she wasn't foolhardy to assume that she knew everything in Konoha's vicinity. Her travelling barge had usually consisted of one, if not more chūnin or jounin who were excellent trackers.

_Tch._ This was what she called a pathetic state.

After a few minutes of silence, Sakura heaved herself up and paused, gazing at the trees.

_Of course_, she thought as she paced, the crunch of the gravel beneath her feet rhythmic,_ I could use henge and walk into the village like nothing-_

Experience and just plain bad luck had thought her several things. The first and foremost lesson which popped into her mind was how she couldn't overestimate herself, and underestimate her situation, however trivial the problem appeared to be.

Unless and until she caught sight of Konoha's familiar gates, there was no way in hell she was going to experiment with her chakra, with what had happened.

Modesty was the last thing on her mind. As it turned out, her fears were founded, after all.

* * *

"Hokage sama, she is - something is wrong."

The nurse had been blabbering for the past fifteen minutes, and Shizune took in the sight of her weary Kage taking the news like a sponge, his attention focused on the unconscious, limp body of his teammate.

"I can see that." Naruto commented wryly, his voice hoarse and dry even as his eyes tried to drill holes through Sakura's dilated pupils, to see what she was seeing. Shizune inclined her chin briefly before cocking her head to the side, and the timid nurse understood that her presence was unwanted. She slipped outside gracefully, concern etched on her face.

Shizune leaned against the polished door frame, having nothing more to do other than ponder. Minato's legacy was sitting on a rickety wooden chair, watching Sakura through hooded eyes.

"This is messed up, ne?" The Uzumaki gave a tinkling laugh which was at complete odds with the sombre mask on his face.

It wasn't every day that the villagers got to see their radiant Uzumaki depressed. Shizune had a feeling that the question was rhetoric, and that he'd grasped far more of what she'd even understood. A sense of professionalism mingled with sympathy and sadness overcame her as she answered softly.

"Well, we've established that she's comatose-"

"Yeah?" Naruto echoed aloud, pointing a finger at her emerald tinted eyes, which were glowing unnaturally like coals. Even her skin had a weird cast to it, and the Yin seal on her forehead was distorting rapidly. "Tell me if that's some bullshit right there."

Shizune didn't flinch as her young Kage got up, a false, reassuring smile pasted across his face.

"Sorry, Shizune nii-chan." He walked over to the only window in the room which overlooked the Hokage Mountain. She didn't think that he ever got tired of mapping his gaze over its every inch, ruminating on things he shouldn't have to. Of course, his enemies would claim that it was vanity, but she knew that wasn't anything as shallow as that.

Tsunade had once confided her deepest fears for the boy before her self - induced recuperation. The brat was unduly loud, brash and very reckless...so much like Dan; much like Jiraya. He wasn't ready, and although she knew that Kakashi had his best interests at hand, she didn't agree with his decision to transfer the Kage title over to Naruto.

_That's the saké talking. I don't do emotional shit, Shizune._

She found herself savoring the mirth she felt upon recalling her former Kage's words.

It was unclear whether Sakura's condition would deteriorate in her mysterious slumber. They had all kinds of medic nin check in on the unresponsive pinkette, but there was a major problem which made the situation appear bleak. She knew Naruto wanted to summon Ino to use her technique on his teammate, but-

Sakura wasn't solid. Physically, it was like she was _absent_.

After her short stroll through the wind swept streets of the village, she had dropped by Sakura's flat to check if her door was shut and bolted, which usually signified that the jounin had left for her shift at the general hospital.

It wasn't padlocked from outside, and Shizune wasn't surprised that the door gave way. From her habitual visits to the pinkette's house, she had deduced that the latter disliked barring her doors whenever she was inside. A pregnant silence had ominously shrouded the spacious, organized flat, and Shizune's intuition had screamed at her.

Then she had opened the door to the washroom and the rest was history. In the heat of the moment, she remembered summoning one of Katsuyu's numerous slug disciples and asking her to relay her findings to the Hokage, even as she had scooped Sakura off the tiled, wet floor effortlessly. The slug had disappeared in a pop, and she had shunshined to the hospital.

The woman in her arms had been weighing lesser and lesser by the minute, and when Naruto had reached the scene, she had lost all off her weight. She had been safely deposited on a secure bed, and the doctors were unable to physically reach out to her to carry out their diagnosis. A byakugan user did an elementary sensory test, and bluntly announced that her chakra system was in an ineffectual haywire.

It didn't make any sense, because she could _affirm_ that Sakura had a great advantage in controlling the way her chakra worked, even when she was in death throes, as illustrated by her near-fatal mission in Kirigakure the previous month.

Naruto had remained deathly pale and silent through all of this, and Shizune didn't want to think about Tsunade's reaction when she woke up. Hatake Kakashi in all likelihood would linger by her bed, the latest issue of his _icha-icha_ in hand. What the pervert would do, she didn't know. And what of the lone avenger he'd bailed as a Kage? Would he give two shits about his immobile comrade who lay sprawled over a messy bed in a dank room?

The truth was almost indisputable for her.

Hopefully, Sakura wasn't experiencing any nightmares. Her peaceful face was a testament to that. Naruto had even considered calling Ibiki in, but she had shot that plan down with an arched eyebrow.

They would just have to wait and see how the situation turned out to be. If not, well, she would be willing to bet that Tsunade wasn't about to live it down.

* * *

Sakura growled as she pumped chakra thoughtlessly to her feet, the tips of her toes creating mini craters as she propelled herself off of a fallen branch. She met the steel of a stranger's kunai with a substitute of her own, and the clash resonated in her head even as she fell back on the ground, fisting her fingers in the soil as she skidded back on her heels.

Her temporary henge secure, she parried another attack from behind with a quick twist of the chuunin's wrist, hearing the delicate cracking with nothing but satisfaction. The guy let go with a hiss of pain, slabs of rock shooting out of the earth even as Sakura leaped backwards.

She had no idea how the hell she had managed to harness her chakra, especially after the ordeal she'd had when she had at attempted to do the same upon waking up. That was something to research later on.

Her hardened eyes darted left and right; she estimated that there were three jounin and one medic-the chuunin.

A contemptuous laugh and Sakura felt blood welling up in her throat as she was hurtled backwards, slamming against the sturdy bark of another oak. She hissed as a hand fisted her untamed, wild hair, dragging her up forcibly until she was face to face with Iwagakure's familiar symbol engraved on metal.

What in the world was taking place? Oh yeah. She was being whipped for no solid reason.

She heard a taunt above her even as she got head butted. It made her see stars, but she wasn't about to go down.

"Konoha scum!"

_Shit._ As far as she knew, Iwa was supposed to be in an alliance with Konoha. Sakura had an inkling that her friend's crazy diplomatic skills must've had landed her in a figurative political mess. Holding herself back from pummeling these wayward shinobi wasn't practical if they kept on striving to get her head on a platter. She figured Naruto could take in some of the political repercussions of her next set of actions.

Blood trickling down the side of her face, she surreptitiously began focusing chakra into her palms, before screwing it into the guy's stomach.

It tore through. Not batting an eye, she landed on another branch. The two jounin she'd sensed behind the trees came out into the open, apparently noticing that their fun was over.

Apparently twins, they weaved through a series of hand signs. Sakura tensed, rooted to her spot as two twin towers of rock and hardened mud shot high above the ground.

Then it happened.

The trees around her started to wither rapidly, falling like flies. The previously sturdy branch beneath her softened rapidly, and she jumped down neatly, hopping from one weakening branch to the next.

She heard the faint cry of an indecipherable jutsu, before the world was barricaded from her. Even as she twisted around in incredulity and disbelief, the towers of rock and soil weaved like a basket all around her. She felt like a fruit in a basket. But the sunlight was unfairly stolen from her as a dome came to cover the basket.

It kind of resembled a warped version of Gaara's sand casket.

She snorted as she felt the earth rumbling, the towers closing in on her as if to squish her.

"Nice try." She hummed, before mercilessly caving the damp ground she stood on with chakra sizzling around her fists. The enclosure shuddered poetically as she eased the punch in, bits and pieces of chipped rock bouncing over her exposed skin as she did. Her henge didn't waver.

There was an eerie silence for a split second, after which the dome exploded _outwards._ Sakura saw her old wounds tearing, splattering blood as she jumped away from the explosion.

Hesitance warred with the insistent, blood-thirsty voice in her head telling her to fight till exhaustion overcame her.

Her rational side nearly quailed at the thought. She had to find a way back to the Leaf and demand some answers from Naruto. Or anyone, really. This was getting too strange and ethereal for words.

The towers which the Iwagakure jounin had managed to entrap her in had been rigged with explosive seals. Kami, what was she, a missing nin or something? As far as she recalled, she hadn't done anything to earn the unfavourable wrath of the Tsuchikage.

Or were they reconnaissance agents, carrying such precious information they had infiltrated from Konoha that they wanted to kill a lame kunoichi in their path?

She sneered openly, not believing it for a second. The sadistic glee on their faces was enough to convince her that her last theory was far from being their intention.

Did Naruto forget to mention that he was in war or something? She stumbled for a split second, her equilibrium jarred.

"Uh oh. Not good."

She crouched, arms clenching her sides as she concentrated on the chakra gathering in the center of her forehead. Her right arm was severely damaged, and she needed to heal it.

"_Yin Seal: Release!"_

The chakra there quivered unsteadily, before swarming out. It rushed through her pathways, fueling her. Eyes snapping open, Sakura felt her seal widening. Even if it was not visible because of the henge, she could feel her musculature stitching up.

Within a few moments, she was back on her feet.

Eyelids drooping, she drily took stock of her injuries, before turning her stony gaze to the dome of smoke and soot. She could wait.

When the smoke cleared, she could find nothing but dead vegetation and upturned soil. Chakra humming relentlessly underneath her skin, Sakura determined that the only way to know was to try.

And so she drove her fist downwards.

* * *

**It would mean so much if I were to receive feedback from y'all.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The muscles in her legs were screaming from strain as she skipped from branch to branch. A reddish stain in the azure sky was chasing away its blue, and Sakura wasn't worried about it, although it gave her an indicator as to how much time had lapsed since her fight. Her four adversaries had been successfully disposed of, although she had spared the inexperienced chūnin, whom she suspected was still nursing his broken wrist.

Her face was set by a grim mask as numerous possibilities flitted across her mind. She couldn't pinpoint her fears clearly, but something told her that her intuition was not wrong this time. The Iwagakure nin had been moving towards the east, and that was what propelled Sakura to move towards the _west._ The way they'd been moving suggested a certain sort of urgency which came with a mission being accomplished. The chūnin had been tight lipped about his destination, and Sakura wasn't willing to test an inexperienced teenager's loyalty.

That could be counted as one of the major reasons as to why she loathed Konoha's interrogative branch with a passion.

She had been running without a pause for what seemed like hours, but she couldn't feel the lethargy advancing in on her. Sakura knew that she would be dead beat once she reached her flat, wanting to catch up on her sleep. Her Yin Seal was steadily leaking chakra now, and the pathways in her body were busy circulating them to maintain her henge. She didn't worry about it getting dispelled, but her wariness about the uncertain state of her fluctuating chakra didn't make her want to take any risks.

Judging by the way she had fought back in the depth of the woods, Sakura reasoned that her fear was unnecessary. If she had any strength she could be dependent for her life, it had to be chakra control.

The sun was just dipping past the horizon when she saw the looming, high rise gates of Konoha. They were open and widespread, beckoning her like her late mother's arms. The relief was accompanied by a sense of steely purposefulness. For one, she knew that randomly being transported to Konoha's thick greenery wasn't an everyday occurrence. What if the Shodaime's portal had malfunctioned? But that reasoning wasn't rational; it wasn't plausible. Sakura covered the empty, bare ground between the final row of trees and the gates, rubbing the nape of her neck. Sniffing herself discreetly, she blanched as the stench of a dead rodent overcame her senses.

Well, she had to suck it up and deal with it. Like Naruto, whenever he had to be sent off to some tactical meetings with a bunch of 'old geezers' as he had eloquently put it.

The Shodaime's open portal wasn't common knowledge to all; at least it wasn't until after the Fourth Shinobi War when the latter had been reincarnated by Tobirama's infamous jutsu. The portal had been created by an unknown clan who had specialised in the art of transportation, a gift to the Hokage who had taken them in as refugees. It was a dangerous gift, as it had the potential of ruining Konoha. Foes and spies could easily carry out assassinations or steal important data before moving into the portal, which would safely transport them to the dense woods outside the village. It was scattered throughout Konoha at a few strategic places.

Use of the portal was officially banned, and only a selected few knew of its usage - the Hokage, aside from a few of his trusted council members.

At least that had been the case until it had leaked out to her on one fine day.

She rarely ever used it, though. It had a potential to be handy for evacuation missions. It was a wonder why it hadn't been used at the time of the Kyūbi attack. Perhaps Madara had a hand in deactivating it or something.

Completely unprepared to take on Moegi's wails and screams as she walked through the gates, she cocked her head to the side in resignation. That was when she did an internal double take.

Kotetsu stared back at her, the chocolate smeared pocky in his mouth swaying from side to side as he did. Hands cushioning his head against the wall, he looked like he had every right to be there. He grinned around the stick impishly, his sharp gaze trained on her. The familiar duo she was used to seeing on a weekly basis was absent.

"Cut it out, Kotetsu." Izumo barked, and Sakura almost jumped when the man came up behind the table, a pile of disorganized papers in his hand. He ran an erratic hand through his dishevelled mop of hair.

Wait, wait. The heck? Izumo couldn't grow several inches shorter like that. It was uncanny.

Bewildered, Sakura shuffled backwards, feeling for any intrusion in her chakra pathways. It couldn't be. Unable to sense any external manipulation of the chakra flowing to her brain, her sight darted about skittishly.

"Hey, Takara, how did the mission go-" Kotetsu greeted her henge, which was based on a kunoichi who'd been killed in action during the war.

"Stop fooling around," Izumo's exasperated voice passed through her ears like a haze. "Why don't you sort these out for a change?"

This was alarming. Someone had taken the liberty to cast her in a weird Genjutsu of some sort. Questions assaulted her mind as she continued to feel for any outside influence or chakra source. She found none.

She was susceptible to stronger illusions, like the ones made by selected members of the Uchiha Clan, yes, but she had deduced that she was naturally immune to Genjutsu.

The math was simple, easy even. Someone meant business here.

**"**_**KAI!"**_

Coming down in a crouch and simultaneously forming a ram sea, she pumped the residual chakra in her body with the steady torrent of chakra from her diamond seal out of her _tenketsu_ points.

The mediocre wooden desk kept nearby smashed into smithereens against the granite wall, the papers formerly stacked on it in neat piles flying hither and thither. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kotetsu hastily moving to the side to avoid getting hit and Izumo being hurled away by the sheer force of her chakra expulsion.

She shut her eyes tightly, opening them bit by bit before staring at three animal-style porcelain masks.

_Anbu._

"You are advised to come without any form of struggle, kunoichi."

The monotonous order chilled her, and she felt an inexplicable need to see the Hokage Mountain.

She pushed past them, the electric chakra on her fingertips momentarily taking them aback as she did, before they shunshined after her. Sakura didn't wait to process what she was doing, taking to the old, dusty streets of Konoha which were abandoned, save for a couple of shopkeepers closing up after a hard day's worth of work. Was it Friday? She didn't know. The shops tended to close down by early noon.

She skidded to a halt in the middle of the street, rocks and concrete rising at the friction of the chakra in her heels as she did. Although the light of the day was slowly fading away, she could see the chiselled row of stark faces jutting out of the uneven mountain, their prominent features glinting in the reddish light of the disappearing sun. But the lack of three more faces was what had ensnared her.

Horrid fascination took on her features as she continued to stare at the faces, even as powerful arms banded around her waist. Rage followed a beat later, an animalistic growl tearing from her throat as she thrashed in their grip.

_Anbu. Paralysis jutsu. They specialize in that. GET AWAY. FAST._

The voice of reason was disjointed, but it got her moving without another word of protest.

She twisted around in the cage of arms which had enveloped her, the chakra from her yin seal flaring as she head butted the mask. It caved in, and the man grunted in pain, two ghoulish black holes staring back at her evenly. The shock wore off steadily, and Sakura found her mind being enveloped by the all-too-familiar calm which was a constant companion in the times of crisis.

The other two Anbu surrounded her, making quick, identifiable seals with precision.

The sun hadn't completely gone below the horizon, and the shadows which streaked towards her at a mind boggling speed made her jump backwards as she evaded them clumsily. Her eyes narrowed as a third ANBU disappeared from view.

This wasn't a fight she she wished to have._  
_

The decisiveness which accompanied that thought fuelled her, making her do a full 360 degree as she swivelled around, the destination clear in her eyes. If she wanted to get a clear answer, then she wasn't going to obtain it in Konoha. Somebody's twisted motives had landed her in the past, and she was not going to risk associating with it.

She couldn't go back to the gates, not when she knew that it would be cordoned off limits. If anyone had made it past Konoha's gates by force, they sure as hell weren't going to get out without the Kage's orders. Which left the Shodaime's portal.

The secretive Shodaime's portal was by the part of the Naka River in the Uchiha compound, and she was going to use it.

_Konoha Kagebunshin no jutsu!_

Her fingers formed the uncomplicated set of seals effortlessly, and she heard the resonant burst of air which indicated the formation of a clone. She had three defending her, even as she ran.

"Back me up, you guys!"

It was a clone version which Naruto had managed to come up with.

_Konoha bunshin._

Each clone was to be supplied with a certain, finite amount of the user's chakra, depending on how much the user had in their arsenal. She wasn't about to run out of any juice soon. The advantage which the clones provided was that they could bear any number of hits, surviving punches and impales at least until their miniscule chakra reserves died out.

The clones would keep the Anbu busy, puzzling them to no end. A part of her hoped that they didn't have any sensor types chasing after her.

Shunshin took her to the edge of the Uchiha compound, and she scaled its walls, clambering over it with a fine layer of her life-force between her palm and its surface. Sliding down the reinforced wall, Sakura headed in the direction of the river, the sound of its steady, soft flow guiding her. When she got near the waterfall, where Itachi was rumoured to have pushed his closest comrade to his demise, Sakura used transformation to change a fist-sized rock into a kunai.

She used it to slit the skin of her palm, drawing out blood.

The seal was fairly uncomplicated, as she had learnt.

She was no expert, but the way the seal glowed as she threw a few droplets of water from the waterfall on it, Sakura was sure that she had a ready exit out of Konoha.

Standing back, she watched coolly as it glowed, feeding on her blood. Her yin seal had expanded, crimson markings spreading across one half of her face.

She had harnessed a lot of her chakra in the past few weeks, not having taken any serious missions since her near fatal one in Kirigakure the previous month.

The glow dimmed, before breaking out without any restraint, shrouding her in blinding light. She felt nothing but the searing intensity of the light prickling her sensitive retina. Sakura thrust her weight forwards, careening into the wide chasm which opened beyond the light.

* * *

"'You aren't going to find anything in here."

Shikamaru parted his lips to let out a heartfelt yawn, droopy eyelids deceptively shading his sharp eyes as they roved over his unresponsive Kage, who had been mumbling incoherently for the past hour or so.

The Nara enjoyed the company, although he was still of the opinion that Uzumaki was one heck of a troublesome guy. He leaned back in his chair, cupping his aching head. Why was it women never left him alone to have some private time?

His mom hadn't stopped nagging him until he had gotten out of the house. He had approached his former teammates in the hopes of them sympathizing with him, but no, Ino just had to pull on his figurative ear and yell at him for being an 'arrogant dish rag'. Chouji, being the kind hearted guy he was, had aptly chosen to abandon him with the woman.

How he missed his old man.

He snorted, not taking eyes off Uzumaki. Something which resembled concern built up within him.

"Spill, Naruto. This moping is getting old."

"It's Sakura." Naruto looked over at him smoothly, his blue, sunny eyes clouded with melancholy. Shikamaru straightened in his chair surreptitiously. Uzumaki sure as hell wasn't experiencing any girl problems, if his solemn tone were any indication.

Was what Naruto going to say even necessary for him to hear?

A few minutes passed, the Kage's quiet tones highlighting the situation briefly. Shikamaru idly noted that his inability to keep his points short and concise no longer bothered him.

The solution was obvious. It came merely a second later out of his mouth.

"Let Tsunade-sama try her hand in waking Sakura." He suggested. It seemed dangerous for the kunoichi at this point, with what Naruto had described.

"That was what I was thinking." Naruto grumbled.

"Does Kakashi know?" Shikamaru questioned lazily, which was kinda uncharacteristic of him, but hey.

"Sensei?" The Orange Hokage frowned. "Nah. He told me that he wanted to go to Suna for an unfinished business."

And what kind of 'unfinished business' did the Copy nin have? If he recalled Gai sensei's words correctly, the Hatake wanted to spend the aftermath of his life visiting memorial sites positioned in and around Konoha.

The man was unpredictable. Unpredictable equalled troublesome.

"Of all the times baa-chan to get her rest…"

The council would've been jumping at a chance to scandalize their young Hokage's name if they were to have heard him then and there. The wry observation made him smirk slightly, but as it was, it had no consequence.

"Sakura's comatose, you say?"

"Yeah. That's basically it. And the weird seal thing on her head is distorting awfully, you know."

"I am no expert, Naruto." Shikamaru lifted his hands in a complacent gesture. "I think you've got to enlist Tsunade-sama in this one. What about Shizune-san?"

"She thinks I should take it easy. How could she? I know for one that teme isn't going to stand still doing nothing. Jus' wait until he returns." Naruto stuck out his tongue comically.

Ah. But that was where Rookie Nine and their boisterous Kage had a sore point. He himself disagreed with Naruto on that one, although he supposed he'd be better off giving Uchiha the benefit of the doubt. Shikamaru didn't have a deep insight of what Team 7's convoluted relationship was like, though he would be willing to bet that there was something which bound them all together like glue.

Sakura's condition was unheard of, to him, at least. Then again, most shinobi managed to find their way around most of the complicated shit out there in reality.

"How is she being replenished?"

"She isn't. Her body is taking care of itself." Naruto looked flabbergasted for a moment, running deft fingers through his short, spiky hair.

"Getting her cells is not possible at this point."

Shikamaru didn't query about her other body functions, this curiosity being uncharacteristic of him. The fatigue encompassing the Kage was rare, however. Between all of his official obligations and ceremonial hurdles, it wasn't a wonder. Shikamaru felt his pain; he himself had a ton of stuff back to do at home, and Temari had requested him at a meeting back at Suna. Being an ambassador and the head of intelligence sucked. Double trouble.

Troublesome kunoichi.

"Shikamaru." Naruto interjected softly. "What if Tsunade can't do anything?"

He felt another wave of headache coming on. This was a new one, Uzumaki pulling a mood dampener.

Who'd have ever thought of that?

Shikamaru didn't reply immediately, choosing to think of his mother. A fearsome kunoichi back in her prime, she had given up her profession for him. The thought made him feel guilty, which was why he abstained from sentimental shit most of the time; when such emotions caught up on him at the end, he would break down.

Well, not really. He supposed he had learned two or three things from the war. The years had really caught up on them, and he reluctantly admitted that he had become more responsible.

Shikamaru could almost imagine his old man shaking his head at him. A miniscule part of him wished for his dad to see how much he'd progressed, useless as it was.

"Don't work yourself up over this, Naruto. See ya."

He still had his resilient mom. The Nara took one good look at his Kage. The latter didn't.

The realization made him mock himself. Yeah, score one for the genius.

He would be stopping by the Nara compound that evening for a few hours, if only to enjoy the fine _onigiri_ his mother made on weekdays.

* * *

**This story is eating away my brain. Feedback would be welcomed, as always. Huge thanks to the people who have reviewed so far.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4  
**

The world spun before her dizzily, or was she the one doing the actual spinning?

Leaves flew past her as she tumbled down a long branch, cognizance allowing her to catch its edge before she slipped down, dangling a few meters above the forest ground. Sakura fell, landing on her feet steadily.

She listened for any unprecedented disturbance, wisps of memories lazily floating about her mind, before reality smashed headfirst onto her. Making a face as the visions of the clones she had left back at the village flashed in front of her eyes, she stared at the green canopy above her.

A rustle.

It was enough for her to sharply cast her gaze to the right. She glided up a tree nearby, chakra pooled in her feet. The life force rushing through her pathways wouldn't stop until after a few hours. In truth, the chakra which she had dispelled cost a lot, but she could still manage with what she had.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!"

A great fireball whirled past her shoulder as she sidestepped it neatly, catching the kunai which had come whizzing at her with great speed. It had an explosive tagged to it, and she tossed it behind her.

A loud boom followed, the smell of acrid smoke making her scrunch her nose.

"Dobe! Move out of the way! Katon: Housenka no jutsu!"

One fire style move after another? That wasn't very smart.

She huffed, before her fingers yielded to a set of hand seals.

"Suiton: Mizurappa."

The water gushed out of her mouth, engulfing the tureen of fireballs and extinguishing them. This basic jutsu's effectiveness depended on the user's chakra reserves.

Well, well. Look who'd actually appeared out of nowhere.

Perching on the branch in front of her was the form of one Uchiha who she had come to puzzle over for the last few months. Except that he looked a lot smaller than she'd previously envisioned Sasuke to be. When she was a preteen, both Naruto and Sasuke were imposing, despite their same stature. Maybe it was because of her small build, Naruto's large heart and Sasuke's aloofness, or a combination of all three.

The two parties silently assessed each other, and she noticed the pitch black tomoe which swirled menacingly within crimson depths.

"Hey teme, wait up! Sakura-chan could've gotten hurt, seriously!

"Shut up, dobe."

The forest was eerily quiet besides the sound of their conversation.

Oh, she'd expected this little rendezvous would happen sooner or later. She'd even prepared to knock younger Sasuke if she caught sight of him in his compound. Amused, she gesticulated towards the customary forehead protector looped around her henge's neck.

"Can't you see I am from Konoha?"

"You are lyin'." Naruto landed beside Sasuke, a scowl on his features. It seemed weird that the blonde would direct that animosity towards her. The second thing which she noticed was the blonde hair spiking outwards. All things considered, she found it bizarre that two members out of the four which she had in the team photo back in her flat were in flesh before her.

"Teme saw through his sharingan. You are lyin'."

It was almost interesting, the way Sasuke edged a bit closer to his teammate without the latter noticing it, a bit of feral protectiveness in his eyes. Huh. She never recalled Sasuke harnessing his protective instincts when he'd been younger. Maybe it was her obliviousness back then.

The tomoe still spun in his eyes as he analysed her. Naruto was shuffling his weight from one foot to the other fitfully. Clearly, he was impatient.

_One tomoe._

The way they were conducting themselves made it pretty clear that they were returning from a near-death experience. She vaguely recalled their first C rank mission.

"Sorry Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke didn't bother to grace his teammate with a reply.

The tiny pinkette fell beside Naruto, clumsily catching her balance before she could fall off the branch. The way Naruto put her hand around her was humorous to watch, especially as her smaller-self pried it off.

Sakura appraised her younger version with a condescending countenance, before turning around.

Even at this age, Sasuke was enviably fast. She dunked as a fist flew over her, before turning around and sticking a hand out, curling her fingers around the Uchiha's ankle. Smiling wickedly, she pulled him back with little to no effort, before throwing him forward. She didn't intend to trash the kid, of course, though it was an enjoyable thought.

"Sasuke-kun!"

_"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"_

Naruto's clones rained down on her, and she saw the Uchiha slowing his acceleration by allowing his feet to hit vertically on the bark of an oak, before skidding down to land on the ground.

She reappeared behind one Naruto clone who'd dared to come closer to her, smacking his head with one swift blow which cause his head to thwack against another tree before disappearing abruptly. It was a figurative yo-yo, having these trees bouncing cute genin back and forth. She leapt onto the ground, pushing her hands against the moist ground. Manipulative chakra shot from her lean fingers, mingling with the earth until an entourage of humongous, earth moulded fists shot out of the ground, even as Naruto and his clones leapt down from the branch above. She crisscrossed the fingers of both her hands together, watching calmly as the fists shot high up at a terrific speed, bashing all the clones, making them burst upon impact. Naruto was thrown backward, landing several metres away from her.

Her younger version's kunai was surprisingly aimed correctly, although she managed to catch all three of them with one hand, before hurling it sideways. She wasn't sadistic, unlike Anko.

It was an enjoyable session, and as she dodged a tureen of Sasuke's miniature phoenix style fireballs, she couldn't help but think how she was slowly running out of time. Anbu weren't useless. They'd sooner or later catch up on her, and she wasn't quite ready to face a real Hokage this time, who wasn't a resurrected one.

"Time to conclude this, you brats."

It wasn't surprising how her former lackadaisical sensei was above her, hiding out of plain sight in one of the taller trees. Observation was one key to understanding the dynamics of a genin team, especially after a mission like the A ranked one in Kiri.

Sooner or later, the infamous, younger version of the Copy-nin would join in the fray, having had enough. Something told her that this was far from the last meeting she'd have with team 7. Sasuke's sandal clad foot came whizzing towards her from above, and she did a back flip, landing a few feet behind. The Uchiha's taijutsu still had many visible flaws in it, and she could think of a few kata routines which could improve his offense. Interested, she watched as Sasuke snarled and ran towards her, a kunai clutched in one hand.

Very interesting, indeed.

She blocked an uppercut with her wrist, surprised when she saw intense pain crossing the Uchiha's features as he jumped away, before attacking her yet again. Sakura had mostly forgotten that the yin seal was continuously cycling chakra throughout her body, and that her limbs now were like steel.

Naruto's daredevil yell echoed throughout the forest.

"_Tajū Kagebunshin Jutsu!"_

The forest was filled with so many blond heads. Cool. Sakura had always wondered whether she'd be able to combat against a multitude of opponents with one fist. Man, it had been a long time since she'd tested that theory out.

Sasuke was fast, attempting to outsmart her with her speed.

She boldly fisted his shirt, raising him up as chakra rushed through her fingertips and into his pathways, paralyzing him.

His priceless expression made her want to pinch his cheeks. Almost.

She easily dodged the sloppy mess of fists which started coming from all direction, blocking one fist and slapping away another, heaving one clone up and rotating him around such that his legs came to smack several others in their faces, which dispelled them instantaneously.

It was unbelievable, that this energetic bundle with sloppy moves and a fiercely protective face would become the most fearsome Kage of all time. Hokage Naruto never sparred with her, and when they did on one of those rare occasions, he was sure to go easy on her. That never made her pissed, though. She'd be a hypocrite if she said she wasn't doing the same thing with Moegi.

And darn it, she was running out of time. Judging by the havoc her clones had created back outside Konoha's gates, she was more than sure that hiding her chakra control was hopeless at this point. And she'd always been the one to make a point. Whoever had summoned her to the past had better learn sooner rather than later what they were about to deal with.

Somewhere along the line, she found the real Naruto. A single punch sent him flying backwards, knocking him out. The remaining clones burst noisily.

It was when the Copy nin came down from his humble abode - the shit splattered trees above – that she made her final decision.

Why would she want to attempt a meaningless move when she could be scooting off?_  
_

She turned to face Sasuke, who stared back at her with a stunned face. She broke the paralysis, hampering the chakra flow by loosening her hold on him, before channeling a fresh rush of healing chakra which would remove the pins and needles that the boy would be facing.

Sakura flung Sasuke away, before shooting a coy smile at her younger doppelganger, who was looking at her with bright green, vulnerable eyes.

"Oh, I think we'll be meeting a lot sooner, kunoichi."

The girl's eyes widened fractionally.

A set of hand seals later, she'd a Konoha bunshin beside her to deal with the Hatake, at least until she had kept a considerable distance between herself and Team 7.

Sakura trusted that the man now got a basic overview of what their team dynamics looked like, which was frankly speaking, poor. Nevertheless, she wished that her former sensei would do something about it.

And so she ambled away, skipping from tree to tree and loving the feel of the wind against her cheeks. The auburn hair of her henge tickled her cheeks as she thought about her next move, eyes steely.

_Yeah, planning my ass off seems like a good move._

* * *

_Only the best for a former Kage._

The rhythmic beep in the room was the only thing which Shizune was focused on, at the moment. She kept her head lowered, arms around her hips as the seconds ticked past. It would've been wearisome if it weren't for the fact that she was eagerly expecting someone. She'd been doing so for the past hour, not even bothering to shift from her position.

She directed her gaze to a barely heaving chest, tapping her feet slowly in tandem with the beeps sounded by the reader kept nearby, which monitored the pace of the heartbeats of the other person in the room, who was currently nestled in a bed.

She smiled when she saw the mouth moving, and a satisfying click which indicated that this person's awareness was beginning to come full circle.

"Water?"

She approached Tsunade, petting her forehead. The woman smiled weakly as her student handed a tablet out to her, before swallowing it. It compelled the salivary glands into action, removing the parched feeling in her throat. The woman then gulped some water, before moving her forearms.

She groaned, before a wry smile crossed her lips.

"You are getting old, shishoū." Shizune grinned, before catching the woman's wrist and guiding it back to her bed. "Don't worry. Movement will be easy in a few more days. You told me that yourself, Tsunade sama."

"Where's Sakura?"

Shizune breathed in deeply.

Oh, the irony. The student was slowly lapsing into coma as the teacher woke up from one.

Tsunade's tapered eyes were keen on her every move.

"Where's Sakura, Shizune?"

Shizune told her, a distant look in her eyes as she spoke.

* * *

**Thanks for the feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The rain pellets hit the ground in silent discordance, and in a matter of seconds, the dry wooden panel beneath her feet was damp. The sky parted with a roar, rain pouring endlessly like a weeping miser who'd discovered the ruin his wealth had brought upon him.

She stepped back to avoid collision from a vendor who barreled past her, clutching a rusty wagon. His hollers went unnoticed in the stream of people who'd disembarked from the latest ship which had landed on the port, including her. Sakura drew her cloak tightly, pulling her hood down against the water which trickled down with a vengeance. She had reached her final destination, an obscure port by the name of Funamura. A civilian port which would gain attention in the future, it was basically located near the forgotten island of Ushiogakure, bridging the Land of Fire and that of Water.

She had been traveling for a sum total of three weeks, and had a lot of time to introspect. As she navigated through the busy throng of people of all walks of life, Sakura couldn't help but wonder about her predicament for what was the umpteenth time that day. She had debunked the mystery in less than a week, although it didn't quite give her the state of mind which she badly craved.

Sakura understood that she was no prodigy. She was quite equipped in terms of a jounin - maybe even more so. That didn't diminish the fact that she was a member of the infamous Team 7. Between Sasuke and Naruto, it was a wonder that she even had her share of the limelight. But this was not about her. It was about her boys. Her boys were two of the most formidable people in the shinobi world; both of them were equivalent forces to be reckoned with.

Both of them had remarkable backgrounds – one was the last Uchiha, gifted with the wrathful Mangekyō Sharingan. The other was the Yondaime's legacy and the Kyūbi container. The latter was an influential Hokage.

One could make a guess as to why she was summoned in the past. Time travels were not unheard of, even in the developed future. She could only imagine the tremendous amount of energy and chakra one had to harness in pulling such a move as dragging someone from the future. It was inconceivable to her, at first. Why would someone dare to waste that potential?

As much as she was considered an ordinary shinobi, her teammates were extraordinary. Information was essential in the shinobi world. Summoning her from the future meant that whoever had carried out the time travel procedure would be able to extract valuable information from her regarding the future. The fact that both Uzumaki and Uchiha existed on her team made that an added bonus. It was simple, really. Judging by the relative closeness of Konoha from the place in the forest nearby where she'd first fell, someone in Konoha was the culprit. Of course, she couldn't be entirely sure of that either. But she was willing to bet on a million ryō that she'd been brought to the past for information.

Information on the future was a handy tool for any blood thirsty village. She didn't forget Kakashi's almost-cheesy line of looking underneath the underneath either. This brought her to Funamura after nearly two weeks of traveling. She had been forced to board the ship using some underhanded tricks, which she was sure didn't affect anyone direly. A little malpractice was essential in her line of work, after all.

She quirked her chapped lips into a little humourless grin, tightening her cloak steadfastly. The grey sky was rumbling now, and she suspected that a storm was about to follow. In any case, she had to find a nice comfy shelter for the night.

* * *

Tsunade popped her knuckles with a swift flex of her fingers, even as Shizune walked into the room, carrying a tray containing a couple of supplementary medications manufactured at the Nara compound.

"How is she doing?" She asked, placing the tray on a small tea table near the former Hokage. Tsunade glanced back at Sakura, an intense furrow in her brow as her mocha eyes tracked her student's medical report. There was a muffled knock on the door, before it was opened.

"Yo." Kakashi eye-smiled at the two women, waving his book about nonchalantly. "Came as soon as I could. Shikamaru informed me at the gate. You are looking quite healthy, Tsunade-sama."

"Come on in, Kakashi." Tsunade greeted him tiredly, the strain visible on her features. "Back so soon? I thought you'd be with the Kazekage for another week."

"Well, the Kazekage was quite adamant that I send Shikamaru soon. Looks like he and Naruto are on the same page that I should be taking a break from work."

"You should be." The voluptuous woman smiled wryly. "Slacking off was your primary duty as a sensei. You should be glad that such an option is ready for you now."

The Hatake almost looked offended as he approached Sakura's bed.

"I am very capable, Tsunade-sama."

Shizune snorted. Hatake Kakashi had voluntarily gone to Suna for official duties as a self-appointed ambassador? It was more than likely that he only stopped at one of the sparse civilian villages to catch the latest instalment of Icha-Icha, its marketing being banned by Naruto in Konoha. Rumour had it that the student and his former sensei had been in a sour mood for three weeks following that decision. Jiraya's death hadn't dissuaded many from ghost writing the books from where the Sannin had left it.

The silence which shrouded the room was almost ominous as Kakashi tugged down his headband, black tomoe whirling expertly. Tsunade was not alarmed to see the copy nin's eyes widening reflexively.

"What does it look to you? Someone is controlling her chakra, isn't it? I find I interesting that someone could duplicate the reverse-time jutsu to such an extent aside from you, Hatake."

The man directed his gaze at her sharply.

"Her chakra is non-existent, yet her body functions are normal."

Shizune looked on as the tension in the room thickened. It was true; the yin seal had stopped bleeding chakra days ago. It had only taken a couple of days on Tsunade's part before she deduced Sakura's condition. It was quite apparent that outside forces were at play.

"Is this blackmail? Sending her off to an alternate world..." The copy-nin murmured out aloud, impassive as his fingers passed through the translucent glow of Sakura's skin.

"The good news is that it is temporary." Tsunade turned back to Kakashi, folding her arms. "The chakra required to pull off such a manoeuvre is limited, like your Kamui. No idea how long it will last."

"Tell me the worst."

"We don't know where she is for sure. Naruto plugged in his opinions of her being in another dimension, as far-fetched as that sounds. But if what I am guessing is correct, she'd fade in a year if something is not done to bring her back. She'll be lost, Kakashi."

The copy-nin raised an eyebrow.

"That is dramatic, Tsunade-sama. What about genjutsu, have you or Kurenai tried that?"

"Useless. We can't do anything physical such as disrupting her chakra. Nor can we use direct genjutsu as, funny as it might sound, her eyes are closed."

Without warning, Kakashi sat down on Sakura. He neatly plunged through her torso. Shizune stood up from her chair in incredulity, clutching her chest in fright. Tsunade smirked at her, whereas the insufferable copy-nin eye-smiled at her, conveniently stretching like his ninken on the bed.

"Just testing." He said easily, defensively raising both his hands.

Shizune huffed in indignance.

* * *

"Fifty ryō for this shit?" Sakura exclaimed, placing the oranges back in their unkempt stack. "What the heck?"

"Take it or leave it." The vendor scowled back at her, an uneven scar running along the side of his cheek. "Next!"

"It is unfair, you know, for both you and the customers." She began conversationally. "If you keep on pricing stuff like this, you'll go bankrupt in no time."

"I ain't gonna listen to a wimpy woman." The man flashed a yellow set of teeth at her. "Get out of the way, lady. You are blocking the customers."

"These look rotten." Sakura examined a couple of bananas, unimpressed. "Want me to shout it out and injure your business?"

"You are a nuisance." The man grunted. "Go away."

_"HEY, THESE LOOK RO-"_

"Keep quiet!" The man whispered harshly, thrusting a couple of apples towards her.

"Thank you." Grinning lopsidedly, she made her way through the bustling crowd in the marketplace. She had managed to secure a job at the local pharmacy, although her miserly employer hadn't thought too kindly of her. Haggling was not her thing, but she got a decent salary at the end. They had no other choice, being short on staff. Her plan was to stay in Funamura for a month, before revisiting Konoha and taking it from there. She would formulate a plan in the meantime. There wasn't enough information she could access in at the moment, but that was currently okay. The probability of someone catching up on her in this non-descript port was pretty small, but she'd be on her guard all the same.

She thought of it as a mission.

Withholding information of the future was impossible if she was unable to evade whoever brought her to the past. Forced mind transfer was detested by members of the Yamanaka clan in situations which were unnecessary, and she briefly remembered a younger Ino complaining how she was forbidden from breaching a person's mindscape.

In the future, as far as she was aware, there wasn't any other clan which possessed powers to read minds other than the Yamanaka. She wasn't sure, however. Someone could take control of her mind. Someone could access memories of her past if she wasn't careful enough. One thing was certain, however. It was only proper for her opponent to discover that Sakura Haruno was no ordinary jounin. She'd give them a taste of their own medicine.

* * *

**Patience, reader. Chaos in Funamura awaits our kunoichi.  
**

**Huge thanks to the people who've reviewed so far. Feedback would be lovely!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

There was a muddy bridge in Konoha; yes, it was certainly old, but sturdy enough to serve the purpose for which it had been built. As of that morning, it was scheduled to be the meeting place of four remarkable ninja, who had just recovered over a week from their exciting C rank mission. Uzumaki, who in truth was also a Namikaze, bellowed out loud for no apparent reason, and one lone Uchiha's eyes tracked his enthusiastic moments, mouth curving downwards in gloominess. A pinkette watched him in turn; large, pretty green eyes a reflection of bashfulness and hope.

She edged closer to him imperceptibly, drooping in disappointment as he didn't seem to want to strike a conversation with her. Sasuke leaned against the railing, and she watched him glower slightly at the rambunctious koi fish swirling in the water below. She sighed giddily, wondering if he could just thaw a bit so that she could ask him out. The blonde jinchūriki sat down near a post and began chewing on a piece of bread, reddening when his stomach growled in anticipation for more, even when he had none. An unfamiliar bird swooped above the peaceful group, who lay in impatience for their sensei.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto Uzumaki fiddled with the corner of his jacket. "Do yah think we might get…somethin' exciting today? You know, as a mission?"

"You'll know when Kakashi comes, dobe." Sasuke frowned edgily. "Stop being a deadlast."

_Oh._ Sakura echoed in her head, even as her heart sank in disappointment. So Sasuke was avoiding conversation with her, as usual. She hadn't spoken to him because she thought he was preoccupied with his own thoughts. The kunoichi fisted the red material of her top, stray strands of long pink hair falling forward to frame her face.

"SHUT UP, _TEME_!"

Sasuke smirked lightly, kicking a stone towards the blonde and watching it meet its mark on his butt. Naruto got up with a vengeance and started with his obnoxious threats. Meanwhile, the seemingly silent kunoichi in the corner was working up a rage at the aforementioned boy.

"NARUTO, sit down! You are being annoying!"

"But Sakura–chan!" He whined as Sasuke ducked his punch and threw one back, face a picture of thunderous rage. "He-he started it!"

It was then that a certain sensei of the three chose to drop down from hell, proceeding to separate two squabbling genin.

"Now, now," He eye-smiled congenially, meeting Sasuke's unfriendly glare evenly. "Let's get along, both of you."

Feet wriggling in the air and struggling against the grip on his collar, the Uchiha thought about how his current strength wasn't even enough to defeat a dratted cat, much less Itachi, and thoughts of his aforementioned brother led to his face crumpling in anger and desperation.

"Today's mission will be a continuation of yesterdays." Kakashi paused, ignoring the incredulous cries of his cute students.

"I hate that cat." Naruto muttered, earning a grunt of agreement from Sasuke.

"I'll be watching, so don't slack off." He added in an afterthought, pointedly looking at Naruto. Sakura shuffled back guiltily, trying to avoid her sensei's gaze. She wasn't quite able to keep track of her teammates, but if Kakashi didn't know that, then –

"Sakura."

It turned out that Kakashi hadn't called to embarrass her about her cat-tracking skills. Weirdly enough, he proceeded to question her thoughts on the strange woman that they'd confronted returning home from their first mission outside as a team. It wasn't a cold interrogation; Kakashi was casual with his questions, as if they were idly chattering about the humidity.

"Can I go then?"

"Be sure to work for an extra five minutes." He said cheerfully, flapping his hand in dismissal, before whipping out his dirty book. Sakura didn't voice her innocuous curiosity to know its contents, but she knew that it was supposedly obscene, as voiced indignantly by some of the senior residents of her village.

Truth was, she couldn't forget the moment the woman directed her attention on her. She shuddered, remembering the feeling that made her want to spontaneously combust on the spot. The woman had smiled a toothy smile, eyes narrowed like she had bared all of Sakura's secrets. Like she knew who Sakura was.

_"Oh, I think we'll be meeting a lot sooner, kunoichi."_

Fists balling, she made her way to Konoha's bustling marketplace, eager to catch up with Sasuke or Naruto so that she wouldn't have to do all the work.

* * *

"So, the chūnin exams, huh?"

Asuma wasn't fooled by Shikamaru's bland question, focusing instead on lighting up another cigarette and staring up as new wisps of smoke floated into the sky. He crossed his legs on the grass, subtly catching a glimpse of his student's slackened face. Shikamaru wasn't fooling him one bit.

"Troublesome, isn't it?"

"Yeah." The young Nara groaned from his position on his back, spreading his arms far apart on the grass. They were in the Nara courtyard, discussing matters in half-hearted laziness even as Nara deer patiently nosed about in the bushes a few feet away.

"Don't tell Ino just yet."

"It's not me you should be worried about, Shikamaru." Asuma rumbled gently.

"I assume your mom already knows."

Shikamaru opened an eye, allowing a heartfelt sigh to indicate his thoughts.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho trio should be prepared to deal with anything." Asuma smiled. "And so I've enlisted you guys for the exam. You'll do fine, kiddo."

* * *

_Funamura, 9:45 pm_

Opening the door to her flat, Sakura peeked inside, scouring the fungi covered walls with her eyes. It was a ritual that she had kept herself busy with for the past week or so; she'd come back from her less-than-desirable workplace, check for traps set in her temporary house and recheck the basic intruder seals that Naruto had passed on to her helpfully. She'd need something more extensive and useful, but at the moment, those seals were enough. Then she'd cook herself some cup ramen and omelet, before flopping down in the bed to think. She'd created a makeshift target for practice, and dutifully ran down her katas to keep herself in practice. Whenever she found herself to be idle, she traipsed into the bookstore a few shops away to keep track of the major incidents in fire country. A week ago, she'd even practiced her punches on the village outskirts.

She made herself comfortable at her makeshift desk, pulling out some paper scrolls and uncapping a bottle of fresh black ink.

The questions were endless; would she ever find a way back? Where was she going to start? What was she going to do about Konoha? She was pretty sure that interfering in devious plots set by Orochimaru or Pain to ruin Konoha and whatnot would have a lot of unnecessary repercussions, such as a very much hip-and-alive-Sarutobi frying her in a skillet if he immediately assumed that she was a treacherous foe intent on spying Konoha, which she knew like the back of her fucking hand. It was as simple as one of Naruto's ingenious pranks. Stay away from Konoha.

Sakura flexed her jaw, allowing her forehead to hit the cluttered desk with an audible thunk. But Konoha was pretty much inevitable, if she wanted to get some answers. She couldn't just lie wasting away in a dilapidated flat in the middle of a moldy civilian village when her patients needed her; she was pretty sure that her marvellous friend, the blonde Hokage was freaking out. She wondered if Tsunade would awaken in her absence. Heck, did the future exist at all?

It all came down to her reluctance to face Konoha. The floor around her was littered with dozens of scrolls, and she thought about how Shizune would chastise her about wasting precious paper in favour of some mindless drivel. Her upper lip curled in distaste, for mindless drivel was exactly what her mind was carrying out.

She had been attempting to sketch down the finer details of the past to form a coherent timeline. It wasn't entirely accurate, but she had a rough idea of how things worked, so that she could remind herself if she were stuck in this timeline for years, possibly until she became an old hag, like Tsunade.

Sakura scratched her scalp gracelessly, knocking back the chair and walking into the kitchen, before setting some unheated cup ramen on the stove to boil.

The wet sensation of something ticklish crawling up her foot broke her thoughts, and she promptly looked down. An unfamiliar sight greeted her, before it morphed into something more recognizable. A silken white substance had expanded on her feet, and Sakura felt light-headed. She calmly forced both her legs out of the mess, hopping up on the rickety kitchen counter, even as the stuff expanded all over the kitchen floor, rising rapidly like water in a broken, unpatched ship. She leaped to the ceiling, long pink hair falling vertically as she assessed the chakra-draining material with her eyes. Without warning, the lights flickered out, leaving her in the darkness that had conquered the world outside her flat. She opened her mouth soundlessly as something encircled her wrist and yanked her down forcibly. Closing her eyes to feel the impact of the ground, she found herself encased in something slimy, scaly and decidedly wet. Sakura felt her life being tugged out of her as she struggled like a hapless fish for oxygen, unable to punch, anything. Her element, earth, was out of her reach to be helpful.

Oxygen was available, for now. There was no telling when it was going to run out.

While fighting alongside Sasuke and Naruto on the battlefield against Madara and his oh-so-loyal sidekick Obito, she'd become aware of the ex-Akatsuki member, Zetsu. Sasuke had monotonously informed them of his abilities, and that had been that. She distinctly remembered Naruto laughing about how disgusting Zetsu's 'slimy smothering' attack was. Racking her brain for any possible counterattacks, she thought about how Gai had battled Kisame's chakra-sucking _samehada_. Chakra against chakra. Naruto's Kurama-tainted chakra would kill anyone who absorbed it, but she didn't have that kind of an advantage.

She gritted her teeth, remembering a time when she'd been trapped in an enclosure, holding her breath as a deadly purple haze floated about. An old lady desperately crying out her name, even as something thread-like encircled her wrists yanked her to danger. Stifling a yell of pain as the white mess covered the sensitive area on her forehead, she pushed her hands in her pocket, feeling for a coarse paper. She felt for the smallest one, before pursing her lips and making a seal. It failed to work. Feeling herself starting to black out, the detached part of her mind reasoned that there was no way one could use chakra when an external source was utilizing it.

Sakura made up her mind. She was jounin for a damn reason.

Scowling unpleasantly in the mocking darkness, the kunoichi activated her seal. She was still recovering from its usage after a practice session on the outskirts of the village – it took weeks to refill her chakra, and she knew that she had a lot to lose when she was exposing herself to Zetsu's slimy stuff like that.

The brief pulse of chakra was inexplicably followed by the lights flickering back to life.

Her seal flared resolutely like her personal signal. Fingers forcibly stretching out in the restraining material of the goo, she made a handsign, before forcing out chakra for what she was worth to the explosive paper seal.

Sakura found herself being hurled away by the sheer force of the resulting explosion, rolling for what seemed like a long time before she gathered herself and used the friction of her charred palms to stop herself. She panted hastily, propping herself and staring incredulously at the shattered walls of her kitchen, and belatedly realized that the seals she'd placed around each room had neutralized the effects of the blast. The white material began reassembling and puffing up. Sakura snarled and got up onto her feet, her wounds unnoticed.

"Okay, okay, this has become one hell of a damn mess."

She paced towards the window, already registering the muffled cries of numerous civilians below her dilapidated flat. The light of the apartment had been busted, and she couldn't for the life of her remember if she had any important provisions she could retrieve. Her short holiday had to be cut, somehow. A few days in and her harpy neighbors had become well-acquainted with her. Keeping up her current henge was out of the question and she found herself shifting to another bland form – a male this time around.

She found herself dropping down from the window, hidden in the pitch black shroud of the night as a panicking throng started streaming out of the fairly populated flat. She purposefully lost herself in the sea of inquisitive people who had gathered around, fingers clenching and unclenching as she thought about the implications of Zetsu's sudden move against her.

* * *

**So, the big question – will Sakura arrive just in time before the chunin exams begin?  
**


End file.
